Electric-railway construction



INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Dec. 15, 1896.

THE "cams warms cc, vkovcuumon WASHINGTON. n, c.

G WESTINGHOUSE. ELECTRIC RAILWAY GONSTRUGTION.

W1 TN SSES (No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE \VESTINGHOUSE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEELECTED-MAGNETIC TRACTION COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DIS- TRICT OFCOLUMBIA.

ELECTRIC-RAI LWAY CO N STRUCTIO N.

SPEGIFIGATlON forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,066, dated.December 15, 1896.

Application filed 511118 8, 1896- Serial No. 594,653. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WEsTING- HOUSE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inElectric-Railway Construction, (Case No. 704,) of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to electric railways, and more particularly to thatclass of railways in which the current is supplied to the travelingcontacts and motors through insulated stationary contacts located in theroadway, which are normally dead, but which are connected in thesupply-circuit as the car passes over them.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, compact, and rigidstructure which shall embody one set of stationary contacts, a switch,branch conductors, and snpportin g and protecting devices for suchparts, all combined to form a single article of manufacture, the partsof which may be assombled at the factory and thus placed upon the marketor supplied directly for installation as a single structure. A lessnumber of parts than is above enumerated may constitute the article ofmanufacture, but the structure should in all cases embody at least asupporting and protecting frame for the switch, the conductors, and thestationary contacts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view, partially in sideelevation and partially in sect-ion, of a structure constructed inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a. plan view of the same. Fig. 3is a vertical section taken on line m 00 of Fig. 1, the contact-pin andits supporting-block beingghowever, shown in side elevation. 4 is adetail plan View of one of the supportingchairs.

Reference being now had to the drawings in detail, 1 is a switch-box,and 2 is a supporting channel-beam comprising a bottom plate 3 and sideplates or flanges 4 integral therewith. One end of the supporting-beam 3extends under the switch-box to form a bottom therefor and is bolted toa lug 5 thereon, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 1. Supporting-chairs 6in the form of open bottom boxes provided at each side with lateralsupporting-flanges 7 are seated upon the plate 3 between the flanges 4c,the dimensions of the flanges 7 being such that the chairs 6 willclosely fit the interior of the supporting-beam 2. Each of these chairsis provided with a top opening 8 and with end openings 9, the purpose ofwhich will be hereinafter stated.

Two supporting-chairs 10 are located in the beam 2, near its ends, insuch position as to be beneath the track-rails when the struc ture is inoperative position.

A strengthening channel-beam 11, 'comprising a top plate 12 and sideplates or flanges 13, is placed over the tops of the chairs 6 and 10.The flanges 13 closely fit the sides of the chairs 6 and 10, and theirlower edges rest upon the lateral flanges 7. This strengthening-beam,although desirable in many cases, is not essential and may be omitted.

Resting upon the upper plate 12 of the beam 11 are open-top boxes 14,the bottoms of which are provided with openings which register with theopenings through the tops of the chairs 6 and with correspondingopenings in the plate 12. The beams 2 and 11, the chairs 6, and theboxes 14 are rigidly fastened to-' contacts in a set. Two are shown inthe drawof pressed steel, if desired. These parts, in connection withthe conduit-sections, hereinafter described, constitute a supporting andprotecting frame for the conducting and insulating parts of the system.The two beams, the switch-box, and the corresponding chair 10 arerigidly fastened together by means of bolts 16, which pass throughaflange 16 on the switch-box and through the other devices just referredto, Clamping-blocks 17 and 18 are provided for the purpose of attachingthe structure to the bases of the track-rails 19. The flange 16 of theswitch-box lis extended and beveled to constitute one of such clampingdevices, and the block 18 maybe permanently riveted to the structure.The blocks 17 are, however, removably fastened to the structure by meansof bolts 19 and are not applied until the structure is placed inposition underneath the track-rails.

20 is a conduit formed in two sections, the top and side walls of whichare preferably constructed of wood. One of these conduitsectionsconnects the two chairs 6 by means of the openings 9 in their adjacentends, and the other connects the switch-box with the adjacent chair 6and extends through the chair 10 By means of the end openings therein.The space between the channel-beams 2 and 11 and around the chairs 6 and10 and the conduit-sections 20 may be filled in with cement, concrete,or any other suitable material.

Suitable insulating-blocks 21 for the contact-pins 22 are located in theboxes 14 and should be fastened therein by any suitable cement orotherwise, if desired. The branch conductors 23 extend from these pins22 through the blocks 21 and the openings in the box 14, plate 12, andthe top of the chair 6, through the conduit 20, to a switch 24. Thisswitch is of substantially the same co11- struction as that describedand claimed in Patent No. 560,452, granted to me May 19, 1896, and neednot, therefore, be further described except to say that the base of theswitch-pan is provided with a supportingfiange, which is preferablyclamped between the flange 5 and the bottom of the switchbox.

The main supply-conductors 25 are led into the switch-box throughopenings 26 in its side, as indicated in Fig. 1., and are removablyfastened to the switch, so that they may be readily inserted after thestructure above described is placed in position.

The cover of the switch-box is not shown in the drawings, but this maybe of any suitable construction such as is ordinarily employed in suchrelations.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing description and thedrawings that the entire structure except the main conductors and theclamping-blocks 17 may be assenr bled to form a single complete articleof manufacture in the factory where the several parts are made andshipped in this condition ready for placing in position where it is tobe used. The entire device may then be placed in position, theprojecting lips of the parts 16 and 18 being slipped over thecorresponding bases of the track-rails, and the blocks 17 may then beplaced in position and the entire structure rigidly clamped to thetrackrails by means of the bolts19.

While I have shown and described a specific form and arrangement ofparts and specific materials employed in the construction of such parts,I desire it to be understood that such materials and details ofconstruction may be varied without departing from the spirit and scopeof my invention.

I claim as my invention 1. A structure for surface-contact electricrailways, comprising a switch-box, a beam provided withcontact-supporting devices and extending laterally from said switch-boxbeneath both track-rails, and means for clamping both theswitch-box andthe beam to the track-rails.

2. A structure for surface-contact electric railways comprising aswitclvbox, a beam bolted thereto and extending laterally therefrombeneath both track-rails, eontactcarrying blocks and chairs therefor,means for fastening the chairs to the beam, and means for clamping thestructure to the track-rails.

3. A structure for surface-contact electric railways comprising aswitch-box, a beam bolted thereto and extending laterally therefrom,chairs supported on said beam, and conduits connecting said chairs witheach other and with the switch-box.

4:. A structure for surface oontact electric railways comprising aswitch-box, a supporting beam extending laterally therefrom, chairslocated on said beam, a strengtheningbeam on said chairs, boxes locatedon said strengthening beam above said chairs, means for clamping saidbeams, boxes and chairs together and means for clamping the structure tothe track-rails.

5. In a structure for surface-contact electric railways, a plurality ofcontact-pins, insulating-blocks therefor, a supporting and protectingframe comprising chairs, strengthening and supporting beams,retaining-boxes for said blocks and a switch-box all bolted together, aswitch in said box and conductors extending from said switch to saidcontactpins.

6. A structure for electric railways comprising two parallel beams,chairs located be tween said beams, a switch-box bolted to said beamsand one of said chairs, a switch in said box, contact-pins, conductorsconnecting said pins and said switch, cond nit-sections for saidconductors, insulating-blocks for said pins, retaining-boxes for saidblocks, and means for clamping said structure to the track-rails.

7. A structure for electric railways, c0mprising two beams spaced apartand having a closed conduit therein, a switch-box and scribed my namethis 4th day of J uue, A. D. switch, contact-pins, and conductorsextending therefrom through the conduit to said switch,insulating-supports for said pins and means for clamping the structureto the trackrails.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- GEO. \VESTINGHOUSE;

\Vitnesses:

WEsLEY G. CARR, IIUBERT O. TENER.

